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Sunday, January 13, 2008

January 12, 2008: Fandango

Mike and Jo-Lyn differ in many matters of taste. Jo knows all the cool hang-outs and likes things a bit artsy. Mike, however, doesn't hesitate to claim "wanker!" at the first whiff of pretension. So there could hardly be a higher recommendation for breakfast at Fandango than that they both love it. And now we love it too.

We contributed to the very brown decor by kicking off with a coffee each - iced for me, and a habitual flat white for Michael. I'm no connoisseur but mine was pretty good; Michael deemed his 'exceptional'.

I took a chance on the pancakes ($8), served in a stack of three with banana, strawberries, homemade honeyed cream cheese and maple syrup. Our waiter even left a bottle of real maple syrup on the table in case I wanted a top up. I didn't, this was perfectly sweet as it was. It looked gorgeous, it had a reasonable serve of fruit, and the cream cheese was lovely (even though I'm not usually a fan of honey). At $12 it would be excellent value, and at $8 it's a steal! The serving size might look modest but it was actually more than I could handle - I barely even began the last pancake (though Michael had a good shot at it).

Michael's main meal was poached eggs with beetroot and fetta relish, spinach, sourdough and mushrooms ($14.50). He had no trouble polishing off this large plateful either. The mushrooms were particularly good and the egg well poached.

So, another great little breakfast spot discovered in our local area. (Will we ever run out of them, or will the inner north cafe scene continue to proliferate until every kitsch shop-front and terrace house has an espresso machine and a twee cakestand?) In Fandango's favour is its proximity to the Queen Victoria Markets - a recipe for many more where's the beef? breakfasts to come.

Jfox, I'm sure you won't be disappointed by the 'cakes. Mike's radar seems more often tuned to music, movies and bars than cafes, though they get the occasional serve. :-)

Hayley, we haven't explored enough of North Melbourne, given how close we live to it. It has hinted at its own awesomeness via a couple of great meals, but I'd like to take a leisurely Saturday stroll through sometime.

Hiya Sarah! We really are spoiled with the coffees here, aren't we? I have to put a special shout-out to Melbourne's excellent iced coffees - I haven't yet seen one with icky aerosol-whipped cream on it. :-P

Hey, come accross your blog while searching for melbourne's cafe on the net. Gotta say that you have a nice blog, especially for (food lover) tourists like me. DO you mind telling me how to get to this place by tram from bourke st or anywhere in the city? Thanks a lot!

Thanks Erica! From the corner of Bourke and Elizabeth Streets in the city, you can take a number 57 tram to Fandango. To help negotiate public transport generally, I'd recommend you visit Metlink and enter addresses into the journey planner on the front page. The maps at whereis.com may also be helpful.